Alternate Allure

CHAPTER 27: DUALITY [Part I]

"Focus on the sound of my steps" Donnie's voice comes from your left. "Unless you'd rather get smacked with a bo staff for the third time in a row"

"Third time?" You grin, tugging the blindfold tighter over your eyes. "You mean second. I totally blocked that last one"

There's a soft chuckle, and a tingling sensation in your brain bursts up. The familiar sound of a tuning fork chimes inside your head just as a faint swoosh of wood is about to cut the air. You raise your arm just in time—thwack!—the staff cracks against your forearm guard.

"See?" You quickly get a grip onto Donnie's old staff. "Not bad, huh?"

"It could have been worse" Donnie says, trying to twist his staff free.

You smirk and twist your wrist, shoving it off course before stepping back.

"Okay. Compared to the first test, this is definitely progress"

"Oh, you mean better than having to magically guess what you were hiding behind your shell?" You grin under the blindfold. "Or when I sat there, staring at a marble for fifteen minutes, looking like a knockoff Matilda?"

Donnie chuckles, and you can hear the smile in his voice. "To be fair, the marble did roll a centimeter"

"Yeah, because I sneezed" You tilt your head, listening for him. "Maybe I'm not psychic. Maybe I'm just stubborn enough to keep letting you experiment on me"

"Correction" He replies, striking fast from the side.

You twist, staff clashing against yours with a sharp crack, catching the hit just in time.

"You're stubborn and talented" Donnie continues, pushing against your defense before stepping back again. "Not everyone can keep up while blindfolded"

"Flattery won't get you out of this spar" You tease, adjusting your stance.

"Wasn't trying to" He lunges again, a quick jab toward your ribs.

You block, spin, then swing low. He deflects with ease.

"Your reaction time's improving. You almost had me there"

"Almost?" You scoff. "Please. I'm giving you a workout, genius"

There's a pause—just long enough to make you wonder what he's plotting—before you hear the staff shift again and brace. He lunges—you parry, side-stepping just in time. The blindfold doesn't feel as heavy anymore; you can almost see where he's going to be due to your premonitions.

"Not bad"

"Admit it, I'm a natural"

"You're... something"

You roll your eyes for half a second at the tone.

And that's all it takes.

In a blink, Donnie's staff hooks behind your knees and he sweeps. You stumble with a gasp, but before you can hit the mat, his arm slides around your back, steadying you. Your blindfold shifts with the motion, loosening just enough that you catch a sliver of his face—the faint blush dusting his cheeks, the way his eyes open wide in surprise and lips part slightly, trying to emit a sound.

"...Careful" He breathes.

You swallow, suddenly aware of how close his plastron is against your chest, of how his hand lingers just a little too long at your waist.

"That... was cheating" You manage, your voice embarrassingly breathless.

"Mm" He hums, eyes flicking down to where your fingers curl in the edge of his plastron. "All's fair in science and sparring"